The Lost Lily Petal
by PrincessDaydream77
Summary: Lily had a baby when she temporarily split up with James when Harry was 1, but she gave the baby away for it's own safety. 11 years later, her baby attended Hogwarts, still ignorant of it's identity. But who is the lost lily petal?
1. Love and Loss

The Lost Lily Petal

Summary : Lily had broken up with James temporarily, three months after Harry was born. Lily returns and find out she's pregnant. James doesn't know about the baby and the baby grows up not knowing who she is. Everything looks perfectly simple, but is it...  
>After the events of Godric's Hollow, Lily's daughter comes to Hogwarts and finds her father, which is a bit of a surprise for both of them!<p>

Disclaimer : All characters belong to JK Rowling, except Lillianna-Rose Potter, who belongs to ME!

Chapter One

1979

Lily was walking towards the door of her small, hiding-place house in Godric's Hollow. She couldn't believe that she would have to do this. She would have to lie to everyone. Her family, James, even little Harry, though he was probably to young to understand. But James, whom she hadn't seen for three months, she hoped, would believe her story, though she wasn't sure she even believed it herself. And Severus...oh, Severus. She couldn't even think about him. He would never know her. But it was probably better that way. He would never know what he had lost. Unlike her. She knew in her heart that she would never see Severus again. Or James, soon. She would never see Harry grow up past the age he is now. He would, however, at least have some memories of her. Unlike her poor little baby, Lillianna-Rose. She held the bundle close. Tonight was the night. It was time. Time to die.

A/N : I know that Hermione is older than Harry, but for the purpose of this, she's a year younger. Please read and review, next chapter up soon. ;)


	2. Memory Snatchers

Chapter Two

1997

Harry woke up with a start. He didn't really know what he'd just seen. He knew it was his mother, but, although he felt a strange familiarity with the small bundle in his mother's arms, he couldn't remember who it was.

He didn't notice that he'd been daydreaming until a red cushion came flying into the side of his head, knocking his glasses onto the rug. He looked up to the source of the throw and saw his two best friends, one standing there with a small grin on his face and the other standing behind him, hands on hips and shaking her head.

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Harry.

"About ten minutes, you went off into a right daydream" commented the red-headed young man, before yelping in pain after recieving a sharp dig in the ribs from the brown-haired young woman who'd moved forward to join him. The woman bended down towards Harry, as he sat on the floor.

"Harry? Are you alright?"

"I've told you already, 'Mione, I'm fine."

"Did you let him in again?"

"No! It was just a dream, a memory thing."

"What do you mean 'a memory thing'?"

"I saw my mother. I...never mind, it's not important. What was that?"

Silence fell inside the tent. Then, a branch snapped. Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped up, dismantled their tent magically, shoved it into Hermione's bag and ran. They ran undisturbed for a while, but just as they stopped, a band of men ran out towards them, triggering their continued escapade.

"Snatchers!" shouted Ron, as loud as he could without running out of breath. The three, realising this was the only action they could take, started shooting spells at the Snatchers.

"_Stupefy!_" screamed Hermione, pointing her wand at a group of Snatchers and flooring five of them. "Run!"

They continued to run as fast as they could, until the reached a dead end, at which point Hermione pointed her wand at Harry's face and muttered an incoherable spell. By the time the Snatchers caught up with them, Harry's face had swollen up to a point where he was almost unrecognisable.

"At least we caught someone, eh, Dave?" commented one Snatcher, cruelly. "The mistress will be chuffed with these three."

With that, he grabbed Hermione, lifting her off her feet as she screamed and faught back, then motioned for the others to capture Harry and Ron. The Snatchers then turned and said "Malfoy Manor"

They immediately Disapparated, the captives wondering what would be in store for them next.

A/N : Please read and review. Next chapter up soon! ;)


	3. Black Torture

Chapter Three

There was a sudden _pop _in the great hall of Malfoy Manor, as the group of Snatchers appeared with their hostages. The sight was greeted by Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and the latter's sister, Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix began to laugh, then immediately stopped as she caught sight of Harry. She stepped forward toward him, shooing the Snatchers bacwards into the corner of the room.

"And who might you be?" she sneered.

"Vernon. Vernon Dudley."

"And you, ginger?"

"Stan Shunpike"

One of the Snatchers shook his head quickly.

"No you ain't. We know Stan, 'e's put quite a bit o' work our way an' you ain't 'im"

There was a loud thud, and next time Ron spoke, his mouth was full of blood.

"I'b Bardy. Bardy Weabley"

"A Weasley? So you're related to blood traitors, even if you ain't one"

Bellatrix spoke again.

"And you, girl?"

"Penelope. Penelope Clearwater."

"Blood status?"

"Half-blood."

"LIAR!" screamed Bellatrix. "You are Hermione Granger, the most wanted Mudblood in the world."

"Am I really that popular?" asked Hermione jokingly, before firing numerous jinxes at the various Snatchers, before being caught by the hair by Bellatrix.

"Not so fast, little girly. Take the boys down to the cellar, Cissy. I want a little chat with this one, GIRL TO GIRL!" stated Bellatrix, screaming the last three words.

Narcissa grabbed both Harry and Ron and thrust them into Wormtail's arms. Wormtail threw them into the cellar, where a few of the other DA members were, including Luna, Dean and Mr. Ollivander. Harry discussed things with the others, but all Ron could hear was a loud crash, a scream of 'CRUCIO!' and a long echoeing scream.


	4. Reluctant Goodbyes

Chapter Four

"We need to get her inside. Harry, come on!"

Ron swept Hermione into his arms and began to run towards the small cottage on the cliff face. Harry swiftly followed him.

Soon, they reached the cottage, which was only a few moments later, due to Ron's pace. You would think that having Hermione's weight in his arms would slow him down, but instead it made him run faster than he'd ever ran in his life. When they reached it, they were greeted by the sight of Fleur Weasley and her new mother-in-law, Molly, who immediately ran forward and pulled Ron towards the spare bedroom, before instructing him to lay her down in the bed and leave immediately, as she would need to undress Hermione to treat her and she didn't want Hermione's privacy to be invaded. Ron protested that he didn't want to leave Hermione's side, but his mother overpowered him within a matter of minutes and he retreated to the sofa, where Harry was already sitting.

"Mum's treating her now, but she doesn't know if she's going to make it. She's been Crucioed, but there's something else and we don't know what it is."

"Ron, I'm going to go. To bury Dobby."

"Alright."

"If anything changes,..."

"I'll come and get you. Now go."

With the little nod of approval from Ron, Harry went to bury Dobby, while Ron continued to stare into space, though the slightest noise from the direction of the spare room made him jump to his feet in expectation of the worst. But it never came. Then again, neither did any good news. It was only when Harry returned that they finally recieved some news.

Molly Weasley had snuck in behind Ron and kissed him on the top of his head from behind. When he saw who it was, Ron immediately whirled round and jumped to his feet.

"Mum, is she alright? Can we see her?"

"She's unconcious. She hasn't woken since you brought her here and, to be honest, I'm not sure she will any time soon. But you can see her anyway."

"Thanks, Mum."

Molly approached the door of the spare room that had now become Hermione's and slowly opened it, before ushering Harry and Ron into the room and shutting the door, with herself on the other side, so as to give them some privacy.

Ron and Harry glanced away from the door and turned to the bed in the middle of the room. Both were appalled by what they saw.

"I'll kill Bellatrix!" exclaimed Ron "I'll bloody kill her!"

A/N : Had to have a cliff hanger. It's a bit crap but it'll leave you wondering what Bellatrix had done that was so bad-fingers crossed ;)


	5. A Lilly Discovered

Chapter Five

A/N : Just to raise the tension, I'll repeat the last couple of lines of the last chapter, okay? ;)

Ron and Harry glanced away from the door and turned to the bed in the middle of the room. Both were appalled by what they saw.

"I'll kill Bellatrix!" exclaimed Ron "I'll bloody kill her!"

There lying in front of them was a shadow of the girl they knew. Her skin used to be a creamy peach colour, with a touch of brown if she'd been out in the sun for a while, but it was now as white as the sheets she was lying on. Her hair was usually a glistening brown, woven through with highlights of blonde and gold, but it was now matted and tangled, the glistening colour dull and lifeless. Her eyes, chestnut-brown and shining with a twinkle in them that only Harry and Ron really saw, were now closed, red and rimmed with dark circles, due to her pain and tears and to the fact that she had not slept in weeks. The last thing that drew their attention was the red stain pooling on the left sleeve of her blue cotton pyjamas. Both Harry and Ron looked from the sleeve to each other numerous times, before Ron plucked up the courage to gently roll back Hermione's sleeve. Both gasped in horror at what they saw and Ron pulled Hermione close to his chest and held her tight, as if he would never let her go. On her left arm was a deep engraving, red raw and bleeding profusely, but the word was still clear to see. The scar read 'Mudblood'.

"Oh my god. What has she done to you, baby?" asked Ron, gently rocking Hermione back and forth in his arms. Harry was desperately sad too, of course. He was also staring at Hermione's left arm, but he wasn't staring at the crudely worded scar on Hermione's forearm, but at the flower shaped mark just below her shoulder.

"It can't be. She's dead."

"Harry, what the bloody hell are you on about?"

"It's Lilly. Lilly-Rose. Hermione, she's my baby sister."

A/N : Not a very long chapter, I know, but after I'd done the description, I thought I'd dragged it on too much already, so I just came out with it. Please R/R. If I get 25 reviews for this story, I'll only work on this one for a week. Thanks.

HermioneHeartstring7 xxx


	6. Joined Forces

Chapter Six

Harry's head was still realing. The girl whom he'd thought was dead for sixteen years, had been right by his side for seven of them. Hermione Jean Granger was in fact Lillianna-Rose Potter, his baby sister. This also made her even more intelligent, as she was one year above what she should be. 'That must be how the Ministry found us all those times. She still had the Trace on her, because she's only sixteen. Well, that explains a lot.' thought Harry.

His thoughts were interupted by a quiet moan coming from the bed, as Hermione began to stur. Ron put his arm around her, to help her sit up. Hermione thanked him for his help, but she couldn't help but notice that Harry didn't once look at her, except when he glanced towards the mark just below her right shoulder.

"What's the matter, Harry?" asked Hermione, her voice hoarse from all the screaming in Malfoy Manor.

"Nothing, it's just...how did you get that mark on your arm?"

"Oh, it's a birthmark, I've had it ever since I was born. Why?"

"It's just that...I had a baby sister, before my parents...well, you know."

"Yeah?"

"Well, my mother gave her away, for her own safety. She was placed with a Muggle family and given a necklace, one that links with the one that my mother gave me." he stopped when Hermione gave an audiable gasp.

"What is it, 'Mione?"

"I never really fitted in with my family, I have a birthmark and I have a necklace that I've had ever since I was born."

"Can you show me?"

Harry pulled a necklace out from under his shirt, as Hermione did the same. Harry's had a picture of a golden sun on it, while Hermione's had a picture of two conjoined flowers; a white lily and a pink rose. When they put them together, they glowed a bright gold, as they fitted together perfectly.

"You're my brother? Harry?"

"Lilly?"

Harry gasped out loud. When he looked up at his younger sister, she no longer had hazel eyes and bushy brown hair. Instead, she had bright red hair that reached past her waist and sparkling green eyes, both traits of her mother. They then embraced tightly, as if they could never let each other go. Harry stroked Lilly's hair, while she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'll get Bellatrix for this, I swear on my father's grave, I will."

When they both calmed down, Harry dropped another bombshell, leaving both Lilly and an unnaturally silent Ron shocked into silence once more.

"There's one more thing."

"What?"

"You're my half-sister, but before you get worried, that doesn't mean you're any less to me than if you were my full sister. We have different fathers. Mine is..."

"James, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know who mine is?"

"No. But I can have a pretty good guess."

A/N : I've left it on a cliffhanger again, soz. I try not to do it, but it entices the reader. Keep reading and please review. If you do, I'll put up another of my Hermione/? mother/daughter stories. In your review, please tell me who you want me to do next. The one with the most votes is the one I'll do. Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep voting! ;)


	7. Diary of the Half Blood Prince

Chapter Seven

A/N : I've decided to do something a bit unorthadox with this, but I hope it'll work. It'll come in later chapters anyway. Well, what are you waiting for? Read the story!

"Are you sure this is the right place, Harry?" asked Lilly, taking tentative steps towards the door of a house that they'd just Apparated right in front of.

"Yeah." replied Harry, although he sounded unsure.

The house they were stood in front of was 13 Spinner's End, the home of Professor Severus Snape. They all approached the door and, with a whispered spell, entered the deserted house.

The house itself was in an extreme state of disorder, with the floor barely dintinguishable from the amount of clutter that covered it. Books were piled precariously high on the tables and, bar the sitting room, which was relatively tidy and looked as if it could not possibly belong to the same house, the mess was almost impossible to get through.

"Harry, what are we actually looking for?" asked a curious Lilly.

"A book."

"Any further advances on 'a book'. No? Well, that should be easy, there's only, what? Three thousand books in this place!"

"It's a diary. The diary of the Half-Blood Prince."

"I thought you didn't know who the Half-Blood Prince was?" chipped in Ron, speaking for the first time since Hermione became Lilly-Rose.

"It's Snape."

"Snape? I thought he was Pureblood."

"No, he just pretends to be. Mind you, Vol-"

"DON'T USE THE NAME!" screamed Lilly and Ron in unison.

"Oh my goodness. I'd forgotten I'm up against _two_ redheads(!)"

They searched in silence for a few minutes, until Ron held up a tattered leather book.

"Got it!" he yelled, causing both Lilly and Harry to run over to him, Lilly enfolding him in an embrace and Harry taking the book and beginning to read aloud.

_'28th November_

_Lily came to stay today. She felt she needed a break so she left Harry with the arrogant pig.'_

"That idiot!" exclaimed Harry.

"Keep reading!" snapped Lilly.

"Okay, okay, keep your hair on!"

_'I think I still love her and I think she still loves me too. I won't give up hope that one day, she will realise that it's me she should really be with. She only really stays with James because of the baby. Harry is quite a nice baby, but he is all that is keeping James and Lily together. Oh, Lily, when will you realise that you belong with me?'_

"That is absolute b-"

"Ron!" yelled Lilly, in a warning tone.

"Idiocy." he said quickly, smirking a little.

"So..." began Lilly. "Snape's my dad, then."

"Looks like it." said Harry, dully. "Except..."

"Except what?"

"Nothing."

"Harry...tell me."

"Lilly...I can't."

A golden glistening light intercepted their argument, one that Harry clearly recognised from all the experience with Dumbledore as a liquid memory.

"What is it?" asked Ron, who was clueless and inexperienced when it came to Pencieve memories.

"It's a liquid memory. You put it into a Pencieve and you can see the memory as if you were there."

"Hold on. Vol-Sorry, sorry, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is going to go and protect his Horcruxes, yeah?"

"Yeah, but remember not to use the name."

"And his last two Horcruxes are at Hogwarts. Harry, he's going to attack the school!"

She grabbed his and Ron's hands and spun on the spot, quickly grabbing the memory in an ampule before Disapparating, the rushing wind causing the pile of books to topple over, burying the diary, where it would never be found again.


	8. Her Father's Daughter

Chapter Eight

"RUN!" yelled Harry, as they sprinted their way through the courtyard of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "We need to get to the Boathouse quickly!"

"Why?" yelled Ron, pulling his jacket tighter around him as they ran.

"Because that's where he is!"

"Who?"

"Snape and Voldemort!"

They continued to run, but when they got there it was too late. Snape was lying on the floor, his neck and robes covered in blood, gasping for breath.

"DAD!" screamed Lilly, collapsing to the floor next to him and taking his hand in her own. "Dad, what happened?"

"Lilly? Lilly, is that you?" gasped Snape, looking up slightly and wincing at the effort.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me, Dad. What happened to you? Who did this? Dad?"

"The Dark Lord. He thought I was the owner of the Elder Wand."

"Oh, no...You're gonna be alright, Dad. I promise you will."

"Lilly, I'm dying and I know that. Promise me something." said Snape, with some of his usual voice, then beginning to gasp again, causing Lilly to increase her grip on his hand, while Harry and Ron looked on in despair.

"Anything. You know I'll promise you anything."

"You get through this war, you stay safe. You just make me proud, yeah?"

"I'm not sure about staying safe. I tried it once and it was _ever_ so dull."

Snape let out a short laugh, while his daughter imitated him, a sad smile on her face.

"You are _definately _your mother's daughter."

"I'm glad. I want to be."

"You look just like her, you know. Like your mother. In everything about you, your beauty, your intelligence, your confidence."

"I take after you too. With DADA, and Potions, and not giving a _damn _what anyone says about you. My bravery...comes from watching you all these years. Time and time again saving me...and Ron, Harry...everyone."

"Thank you, darling. And Lilly?"

"Yes, Dad?"

"Keep up your schoolwork. I think you might make Head Girl next year."

"Maybe. I'm not sure."

"And for Heaven's sake, pass your Potions N.E.W.T(!)"

Everyone in the room let out a sad laugh.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you, my darling Lilly."

Lilly pulled him into an embrace and he held her close. It was only when her father's grip loosened that she pulled back and let the tears begin to fall.

"Lilly."

"No."

"Lilly, please."

"No!"

"Lilly! He's gone. He's gone."

"He can't be. Harry, it's not fair!"

"I know...I know, Lil, I know."

Harry walked over to her and pulled Lilly away from her father, ignoring her protests and pulling her into an embrace, allowing her to cry on his chest while Ron closed the former Potion master's eyes.

"It's time to go."


	9. Memory Lane

Chapter Nine

"This is probably the best idea that Ron has ever had. Really."

"Do you think that we'll be okay?"

"We'll be fine. Ron and Ginny are on lookout and McGonagall's not far away. It's over here."

Harry and Lilly had finally emerged from the battle, Harry leading them through the various battling soldiers towards the well recognised phoenix statue. Whispering the password, they climbed the stairwell and entered the office that had formerly belonged to Dumbledore. Harry led his sister down to the silver lit stone basin.

"The Pencieve." breathed Lilly, her bright red hair shimmering in the reflected light.

"Time to take a look." replied Harry, holding up the ampule containing the sparkling golden light of a memory. Snape's memory.

"Right, breathe...and...down." instructed Harry, following the instructions himself and helping his sister to push her head down into the water. Everything blurred, then revealed a clear picture.

Severus Snape ran faster than he had ever run before. He had to get there before the Dark Lord...Well, he couldn't even think of what Lord Voldemort would do if he reached the Potters before he did.

As he skimmed a corner, his thoughts were broken by the sight before him. The Potters' house, looked perfectly normal to the untrained eye, but Severus' arm twitched, the Dark Mark searing against his skin, as if he'd been scorched. Severus knew that something had happened and he hoped beyond all belief that he was wrong. He ran towards the door.

He stepped over James' body with barely a second thought, he raced towards the nursery, only to collapse on the floor, gathering Lily's lifeless body in his arms, the sound of his own sobs obscuring the ones coming from the crib.

Suddenly, the door burst open and two wizards rushed in. Severus recognized through his blurred vision that the figures were that of Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. Both gasped in shock and sorrow. Albus crouched to comfort him, while Minerva reached over to the crib to soothe the screaming Harry. It was Albus who finally broke the long silence.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" enquired Minerva.

"Lilly." he replied, only to have a puzzled glance cast over him from both Minerva and the now calmer Severus.

"No," he continued "Lilly-Rose. Lillianna. Where is she? Severus?"

"She wasn't here when I got here. Only James, Lily and Harry. Minerva?"

"I don't know anything. Why would I know anything?" she retorted, rather too hurriedly.

"Minerva? It's all right, you can tell us." persuaded Albus gently.

"There's nothing to tell."

The cloaked figure was knocking desperately at the door of an old thatched cottage in the Highlands. The door was eventually answered by Minerva McGonagall, who looked both shocked and alarmed at the sight before her.

"Who's there? Who are you?" enquired McGonagall defensively.

"It's me, Minerva." answered the figure.

"Lily?"

The woman pulled back her hood, revealing her face. True enough, it was Lily Potter.

"What on earth are you doing here? I can see Harry, but where's James?"

"Minerva, this isn't Harry. Harry's at home. With James, of course."

"Then...who is this?" she asked, rather more timidly than she normally would.

Lily stared at the baby in her arms, kissing her on the cheek as she slept, then bringing the bundle forwards towards her former Professor, so that she could see her face.

"This is Lillianna. Lillianna-Rose Potter, but we just call her Lilly-Rose. Please look after her for me, Minerva, promise me."

"You want to give up the child to me?"

"I don't want to do this, Minerva, in fact I think it'll probably be the hardest thing I ever have to do. Even harder than what I'm about to do. I can't explain very well, but..."

"But if you get Lilly-Rose away from the family in deep cover then He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named might not be able to find her, whereas the same cannot be done for Harry, correct?"

"Yes. Thank you, Minerva. Keep her safe, watch over her, but never tell her. Not about me or Harry or James, any of it. She can never know. Her ignorance is what will keep her safe."

Minerva nodded, then waited patiently as Lily bent down and pulled her namesake daughter close to her chest. She kissed her softly on her forehead, whispered a few words of love and farewell, then handing her to Minerva, before quickly Disapparating before her former Head of House could see the rush of tears gushing down her face. Minerva stood disbelievingly in her doorway, then held Lilly-Rose close and shut her door, wondering what to do with the girl.

Severus Snape stood with Minerva McGonagall in an empty classroom at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, staring at the baby in the latter's arms.

"So explain that to me again, Severus."

"I promised Lily, the original Lily, that if the Dark Lord ever found out about Lilly-Rose, baby Lilly, then I would have evidence around my house to say that she were my daughter."

"Alright, but she isn't?"

"Yes, she is. Lilly-Rose is my daughter."

"But why don't you take her in. It's unfair on her to be adopted if she has a competent father. It's unfair if she doesn't know who you are."

"She won't know anyway. If she's put up for adoption she won't know any of it."

"Alright, but how would she eventually find out, if You-Know-Who is vanquished for good?"

"The thing is, I will probably die in that battle, but she will see this memory."

"Alright. You know what to do."

Severus approached the baby and cast a Glamour charm over her. Her hair changed from fiery red to bushy brown and her eyes from sparkling green to hazel.

"Goodbye, Lilly-Rose. I hope we'll meet again one day."

Both the Potters emerged from the water, gasping. When they had dried off, Harry realised that the water on his sister's face was not from the Pencieve, but from her eyes. Upon realising this, Harry took her into his arms and held her tight.

"It's alright, it'll all be over soon."


	10. A Promise in Death

Chapter Ten

Lilly was sitting on the stone steps, leaning on Ron's shoulder, while he put his arm around hers. They broke apart at a sound behind them, but relaxed a little when they saw it was Harry.

"Geez, mate, you scared us!" exclaimed Ron.

"We thought you'd gone to the Forest!" exclaimed Lilly, Voldemort's words still ringing in her ears.

"I'm going now."

"NO! Harry, you can't go! He's going to kill you!"

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?" screamed Harry, stunning his sister into silence. He stared menacingly at her before starting again. "You think I don't know what happened to Fred? Or Lupin, Tonks even? They were killed fighting. Either way, I'm going to die. I'd rather die before anyone else goes down for me."

"But what about me? You're the only family I've got, Harry. Now Dad's dead, I've got no one."

"Go to Molly. She's already agreed that if...well, when I die, she's going to look after you for me."

"No. I mean, I love Molly, but she's not you and if she isn't, I don't want her."

"You're going to have to learn, Lil, that you can't rely on people. Now remember, live every day as if it's your last..."

"'Cause you never know how long you've got. Mum said that."

"Yeah, she did. She was really clever. That's where you got it from, then."

He stroked Lilly's face gently, wiping away her tears with his thumb, before pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I'll go with you."

"No. No, you go with Ron and you take out the snake. Do that and we can bring him down. I love you, sis."

"I love you too, Harry."

They finally broke apart, but before Lilly could say anything, Harry was at the bottom of the steps and out of the door into the cold night air. Lilly collapsed into Ron's arms, kissed him briefly on the lips, then pulled away and began to run down the stairs.

"Lilly, where are you going?"

"To help him. He'll be killed on his own!"

"But...you promised your dad that you would stay safe."

"Yeah, but I wasn't taken from my mother and placed in the Muggle adoption system under a Glamour charm just to watch my brother walk willingly to his death. Oh, and Ron?"

"Yes."

"I don't follow instructions from hypocrites, even if they are my father(!)"

A/N : Sorry about the lack of updates for all of my stories, but it's my school exam week, so it's all kind of hectic. I'll mainly update at weekends. Please review!


	11. Confronting His Fate

Chapter Eleven

The Death Eaters were assembled in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest, waiting for the Chosen One. About five feet ahead of the assembly stood Lord Voldemort himself, closely tailed by his most loyal Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange. They were all awaiting the arrival of Harry Potter and so far, had been bitterly disappointed.

"I thought he would come." whispered Voldemort, his voice laced with disappointment. "I was, it seems...mistaken."

"You weren't." The voice came from behind him and the Death Eaters gave a collective gasp, the high pitched voice of Bellatrix standing out from the crowd.

"Harry Potter...theBoy Who Lived...come to die."

Harry stepped forward to embrace his fate, but was shocked to see a girl run through the trees and cast herself in front of him.

"_Expelliarmus!_" yelled the girl and Harry's wand went flying from his pocket into her hand.

"Harry!"

"Well, well, well. Another Weasley?" hissed Voldemort, catching sight of the red hair obscuring Harry's vision.

"You mean you don't recognise me? No, I'm not a Weasley. But one thing I certainly am...is a Potter."

Voldemort and his followers all shared confused glances, which prompted Lilly to continue.

"Harry's not the only one who lost his parents because you were too much of a coward to seek what you desired for yourself. Remember Lily and James? My mother and my step-father? What about my father? A man you killed less than three hours ago. Yes, my father was Severus Snape. A man who never did anything to you."

"He was the owner of-"

"The Elder Wand, I know. That does not give you the right to kill him. I lost my stepfather, my parents and some of my closest friends to your hand and I do not intend to lose another person that I hold dear. Not again."

Voldemort, interestingly, did not even flinch as Lilly ran to Harry, grabbed his hand and was spun around as they both Disapparated into the castle.

"My Lord..." piped up Bellatrix. He held up a hand to silence her.

"I will go to the school tomorrow and fight them there. This is not over, Bellatrix. Not by far."

A/N : I didn't want to end it there, because there is a massive twist to this story. See if you can guess what it is, but if you want to tell me, don't put it in a review because it might ruin it for anyone else. Sssshhhh!


	12. Always

Chapter Twelve

The final battle had finally come. The Light side had bravely assembled in the courtyard, determined that if they should die, they would die together, fighting.

They did not break apart as Lord Voldemort and his army swept over the bridge towards them. They assembled in unbroken ranks, all at least a metre behind their master, all except Bellatrix, who was absolutely determined to stay as close to her Lord as possible.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" hissed Voldemort. "Everyone has gathered here in order to protect little baby Potter? How foolish you all are. Hand Mr. Potter to me and I shall leave everyone in this courtyard untouched."

"You think we'd believe that? How foolish _you_ are. It's not about self-preservation, it's about love. But you wouldn't understand what that is, because you don't have a heart, or if you do, it's long since turned to stone." The brave voice belonged to Lilly.

"Is that so, Miss Potter?" asked Voldemort, his crimson eyes boring into her emerald ones.

"Yes, Mr. Riddle." answered Lilly, her boldness shocking all in the courtyard into silence.

"You dare speak that name to me?" spat the snake-like man.

"Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself. Words I've spoken many times and am not afraid to use again. I'm not afraid of the name, Voldemort, but I thought that, seeing as you do not address me as Miss Granger, I will not address you as a false name. Because you've been wrong all this time, can't you see that?"

"Would you like to enlighten me, Miss Potter?"

"You killed my father, because he was the owner of the Elder Wand, correct?"

"Yes."

"But that was futile, it was pointless. You never saw my father cast a Patronus charm, did you, Tom?" She paused, waiting for a reaction, before continuing. "My father's Patronus was a doe, identical to my mother's, because he loved her for nearly his entire life, right from their childhoods. He asked you to spare her, didn't he?"

"He desired her, that was all. And when she was gone, he agreed that there were other women, more worthy of him."

"Of course he said that! But from that moment on, he was Dumbledore's. He gave up everything to do it, his position, his friends, even...his daughter. But he's been working all this time to bring you down. Protecting me and Harry from you. And it worked. Because he stopped you, tricked you into thinking that he was the one you had to kill. But he wasn't. Because my father never owned the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"Snape killed Dumbledore."

"No, you're not listening to me! My father never defeated Dumbledore, his death was planned between them! Dumbledore planned to die, undefeated, making him the last true master of the Elder Wand. The Wand's power would have died with him. But something went wrong."

"Snape killed Dumbledore. Whether planned or not, he was the master of the Elder Wand."

"Ah, but he wasn't. Because someone else got there first. Mere minutes before Dumbledore died, his wand was taken against his will. By Draco Malfoy."

"No matter, no matter. We duel on skill alone, Miss Potter...and after I have killed you, I can attend to...Mr. Malfoy."

"Too late. My brother got there first. He Disarmed Draco at Malfoy Manor. So the Elder Wand was his...until...I Disarmed him in the Forbidden Forest. Yes, you've got the remainder of your Horcruxes, your Parseltongue and your stupid Death Eaters. But you don't have the Elder Wand, because...it belongs...to me."

All went silent as Voldemort stared in disbelief from the most powerful of the Hallows, safely in his hand, to the redheaded sixteen-year-old girl staring defiantly at him. No one spoke, no one moved, many did not even dare to breathe.

Suddenly, the Dark Lord took the Elder Wand and pointed it at Lilly, sparking a chain reaction. Harry immedaitely lept before his sister, shielding her from the jet of green light that had escaped Bellatrix's wand. Ginny ran towards him and jumped on him, pulling all three to the ground, the Killing Curse sailing just past Ginny. Bellatrix stepped forward to try again, but was blocked by Molly Weasley, who sent curse after curse flying at her deranged opponant, which she easily blocked and even taunted Molly with Fred's death and her own. But the curses got stronger and suddenly, Bellatrix found it harder and harder to block them. She let her guard down for a second to glance behind at her younger sister, who was watching in terror, and a jet of red light hit her square in the chest. Her malicious smile froze and her eyes glazed over and Bellatrix Lestrange fell to the floor, unmoving. Three screams of anguish came from the Death Eaters, one of them escaping Voldemort's lips, while Rudolphus Lestrange watched in anguish and Narcissa Malfoy tumbled to the floor beside her, her dignity forgotten as she cried over her elder sister's frozen body.

This sent Voldemort over the edge into despair and he charged towards Molly Weasley, the Elder Wand pointed directly at her back as she checked that everyone was alright. Lilly saw this and screamed as she got to her feet;

"Molly, move!"

The jet of green from the Elder Wand was met by crimson from Lilly's. The battle fought on, neither more powerful than the other, until Nagini, who had been forgotten about for a long while, lept for Lilly's throat. An almighty shriek came from the crowd and Nagini collapsed to the floor, his head landing at Voldemort's feet. The battle was stopped for a fleeting moment to catch a glimpse of who had killed it. There, blood pouring down the left of his face and the Sword of Gryffindor still clutched tightly in his hand, was the last person anyone would have expected to perform such a brave deed. Neville Longbottom.

Turning back towards Voldemort, Lilly realised that he had pulled the Elder Wand back, ready to strike. Thankful that she had such quick reactions, the two jets of light met in the centre of the courtyard once more, though this time was different. The crimson had met the emerald in the centre, but this time, it was advancing forward, pushing Voldemort's curse backwards. Once the curse had been fully pushed back, the Elder Wand was jerked out of the hand of Voldemort and went flying through the air, landing in Lilly's waiting palm. She looked at the wand in disbelief for a moment, then back to her arch-enemy. To her surprise, Voldemort was crumpled, weak and lifeless, in an unmoving heap on the floor.

Silence fell once more over the courtyard, but this time was not broken by a war cry, but erupting cheers of victory. Harry pulled Lilly into a hug as everyone gathered around her, congratulating and hugging her. They all surrounded her, but stepped a little further away to let Ron approach her. They ran towards each other and embraced in a passionate kiss, raising another cheer from the crowd. When they broke apart, they smiled at each other for a moment then lent into a hug, holding each other close.

Later that day, Harry and Lilly-Rose were out on the bridge at Hogwarts school.

"So, Lilly-Rose Potter, you're engaged!" laughed Harry, indicating the small gold engagement ring on Lilly's finger.

"Mum's engagement ring really suits you, you know."

"Are you sure you shouldn't have given it to Ginny?"

"No, she has her mum's old one, it's what she wanted."

"It's so strange, isn't it? To think that Voldemort's gone, that we're both getting married, that half our friends and enemies are dead."

"We'll survive. We're the Kids That Lived." he joked.

"Yeah, I suppose." she laughed.

"She'd be so proud of you, you know. Mum."

"And you. James would too."

"So would Snape. Dumbledore, Sirius, Fred."

"Lupin, Tonks, all of them. We didn't let them down in the end. We did what they died trying to do. We fought, we won, we survived."

"We always have."

"And we always will." they finished together. They stood there like that for a while, Lilly-Rose leaning her head onto Harry's shoulder, as they watched the sun rise on the new day. They were safe at last. Always.

The End


End file.
